


The Temple of Chloe

by namibean



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-11 20:58:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5641744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/namibean/pseuds/namibean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Straw-hats and Trafalgar Law take a small detour between Punk Hazard and Dressrosa when Robin reads about a poneglyph located in the area.  The crew may discover more than they were looking for though, when they learn of a legend on the island.</p><p>This story is mostly Action/Adventure with a little bit of SanjixNami thrown in for good measure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> One Piece is the property of Eiichiro Oda. I own nothing.

            _Why am I here?_   Nami dragged her feet up stone steps as she followed behind Brook, Robin, and Trafalgar Law.  _I thought we were supposed to be sailing to Dressrosa._   Instead the crew landed on this strange island after leaving Punk Hazard because the archaeologist read about a poneglyph in the area.  As much as Nami admired Robin like an older sister, she wanted nothing to do with the search.  She had been helpful enough in successfully navigating the ship to the island safely, considering the dangerous coral barrier surrounding the coast.  Now she was accompanying two of her crewmates and Tra-guy on this little expedition, all because she drew one of the short matchsticks.

The air was thick with a heavy fog that made Nami uneasy.  Not being able to see more than a few feet in front of her set her nerves on edge.  She let out a heavy sigh as she adjusted the backpack she was carrying on her shoulders.  She appreciated the bento that Sanji-kun had prepared for her before the group left the ship, but right now it was feeling just a bit heavy, much like her feet.

The dense cloud cover seemed to drain her energy with each step.  Not helping was the soreness in her legs.  Sanji-kun informed her after leaving Punk Hazard that he had to use his blue walk while in her body to escape from the poison in the lake in the middle of the island.  Nami questioned what he was even doing in the lake, but Sanji-kun explained that he was rescuing Kin’emon’s torso.  This had also been the reason she was wearing a different coat when Tra-guy switched them back.  She decided that she couldn’t be angry with him for that.  Honestly, she didn’t even notice the soreness until after sailing away from Punk Hazard.  Sanji-kun was apologetic and even offered to take her place when he saw that she drew one of the short sticks; Nami only declined because she knew Usopp would never let her hear the end of how she got out of participating in yet another dangerous mission.

            “ **Oi** , keep up,” Law called back to Nami.  _Straw hat-ya will blame me if any of his crew go missing_ , he thought, irritated.  If he would have known how much trouble the Straw-hats would cause him, Law may have second-guessed his decision to form an alliance with the crew.  Still, as much of an annoyance as they had been, he couldn’t deny that they were definitely useful.  Thanks to their crew, he was able to destroy the laboratory on Punk Hazard and leave with Caesar Clown, both essential first steps in his plan to take down the Yonko Kaido.  Despite the small detour on the way to Dressrosa, Law considered the alliance worth the minimal task of accompanying part of the crew in their search for a poneglyph.

            Walking in front of Law was Brook, the Straw hats’ musician and fencer.  The thick fog reminded him of an island in one of his horror books he had read.  It was the same book with the story of the slime that melted clothes off of young women.  The island in the story was the home of a vampire that seduced women at night so that he could drink their blood.  “Iyaaa… This place is creepy, Robin-san.  This chilly air is giving my skin goose bumps… not that I have skin.  Yohoho!”  Law let out an audible groan from behind the skeleton.  “This island doesn’t seem that big, but the fog appears to be hiding most of it,” Brook continued.  “Do you think this poneglyph is much further?”

            “I’m sorry Brook, I’m not completely sure,” Robin replied from the front of the small expedition group.  “If this island is the one I read of, then it shouldn’t be much further.”  From experience, the archaeologist knew that most poneglyphs were placed in areas with the strongest mystery.  Although the fog hindered her field of vision, Robin guessed that the stone stairs they were climbing most likely led to some sort of temple.  If a poneglyph did in fact exist on this island, it would probably be located there.  She just hoped that the legends of the temple on the island were just a myth.

            The group of four continued to climb the stone steps until they reached a plateau.  Even at the top of the stairs, stones continued to pave a pathway towards an area that was hidden by the fog.  A small wooden sign with the name “Chloe” carved on it confirmed that the crew had landed on the island Robin was looking for.  Law was puzzled when he saw the sign.  “Chloe?  But isn’t that the island that is supposed to have the…”

            “Yes,” Robin interrupted his question, “but I don’t believe it is real.”  The archaeologist didn’t want to frighten her crewmates, especially Nami.  Such a creature couldn’t exist in the real world, could it?  Still, there were so many legendary creatures the crew had already encountered; Robin would not be surprised if this one was real as well.

            Although it was unlike her, Nami couldn’t pay attention to the conversation.  Either the fog, or the climb, or perhaps both caused her to feel extremely dizzy.  It was like a heavy veil covering her head, obstructing her senses.  Brook noticed that the navigator looked unsteady on her feet.  He caught her just as she was about to fall backwards down the stairs they had climbed, “Ah! Nami-san, are you alright?”

            The interaction caught both Law and Robin’s attention.  Law shot a look at the black-haired woman.  He was about to question her beliefs, but the group was interrupted.  “Oh, visitors! It’s been a while since we’ve had anyone come to the island.”  Two men dressed in plain robes approached them through the fog.  “Welcome to Chloe.  How can we be of assistance?”


	2. Chapter 2

            Two men in robes approached the group.  They appeared to be temple priests.  Robin saw her chance and gave her warmest smile.  “Hello.  Our companion appears to be exhausted from the climb.  Do you know of a place near here where we can rest for a bit?”

            The men were surprisingly enthusiastic.  “Yes!  Yes!  The temple we tend to is near here.  Actually it is just straight ahead down this path.  We’ll take you there!”  This was uncharacteristic for people guarding a poneglyph.  Their openness made Robin suspicious, much like when she had to run from people who tried to turn her over to the government as a child.  The group had nowhere else to go though, so they followed the two priests through the fog.

            Nami was barely conscious, but she could tell she was being carried.  She lifted her heavy eyelids open to see a skeleton with an Afro.  Her voice came out in a small whisper, “Brook?  What happened?  Where are we going?”  Not having a grasp on her senses was frustrating.  It was like being just under the surface of a lake, but unable to come up for air.

            Brook was surprised that the navigator had come to so quickly. “Nami-san!  You collapsed and almost fell down the stone steps we climbed.”  He continued in a hushed voice, “Two gentlemen in strange robes met us and are now taking us to some sort of temple.  Maybe the poneglyph that Robin-san was looking for will be there.  Do you think you can walk?”

            “Not yet,” Nami replied.  Her voice was still quiet.  “Listen, something is definitely wrong here.  This fog has been draining my energy since we got on the island.  I don’t know why it hasn’t affected you guys yet, but be careful.”  She was struggling to stay conscious.

            Law could hear the whispered conversation behind him.  He walked up beside Robin and kept a safe distance from the temple priests.  “I don’t like this, Nico-ya,” he quietly told her.  “Nami-ya just told Bone-ya that the fog has been draining her strength since we got here.  So, why hasn’t it affected us yet?”

            “I don’t know, Tra-guy-kun.”  Robin’s cool demeanor hid her troubled thoughts.  She didn’t like the situation as well.  It felt like an obvious trap, but for what she wasn’t sure of yet.  “You don’t think the legends are true, do you?”

            “I hope not,” Law replied.  “Do you still have the baby den-den mushi?”  If the legends were true, then the group of four may be in trouble.

            “Yes,” Robin confirmed.

            “Good,” Law continued.  “We may need it soon.”


	3. Chapter 3

            The small group of pirates continued to follow the temple priests up another set of stone stairs.  This set was much shorter than the stairs they climbed up to the plateau.  The small steps led into a stone paved courtyard. In front of them was an open temple supported by stone pillars.  The only solid walls were at the East and West ends of the temple.  A poneglyph was visibly located in the middle.  “Welcome to the temple of Chloe,” one of the priests waved his hand to lead the group inside.  “Please feel free to rest here while your companion regains her strength.”

            Robin scanned the area.  With the temple being an open area, would it be possible to trap anyone in it?  There were so many places to escape.  She carefully approached the poneglyph and began reading as she called back to her crewmate, “Brook, please take care of Nami.”

            Law and Brook followed Robin into the temple area.  Brook placed Nami down on a wooden bench that was against the wall at the West end of the temple, putting her backpack under her head for a pillow, and then went to examine the poneglyph with Robin.  Despite the openness, Law still couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap.  Why would the fog drain Nami-ya’s energy, but not theirs?  What did he, Nico-ya, and Bone-ya have in common that Nami-ya didn’t?  He leaned against one of the pillars and soon realized the connection.  The stone pillar was made out of _kairouseki_.  Law pushed himself away from the pillar as he collapsed to the ground.  _The fog drains the energy of non-devil fruit users, and the temple drains the energy of devil fruit users._   He looked over at one of the priests who was mumbling something.  The other priest was grabbing a lever hidden by drapes at the East end of the temple.  Law then knew that they had fallen into the trap. _Damn it!_

            “ **ROOM…** ” Law used the last of his energy to create a room around Robin and Brook.  “ **Shambles!** ”  The two Straw-hat pirates appeared outside of the temple, just as bars came down in each open space.  The temple had become a giant sea stone cage, and both Law and Nami were still trapped inside.  Robin and Brook looked ready to fight, but Law stopped them.  “Don’t do anything!” he yelled, “It’s _kairouseki_!”  Even yelling was difficult for him.  He crawled to the bars closest to where Robin and Brook were located.  “Use the den-den mushi.  Call Straw hat-ya and the others.  Warn them about the fog, the _kairoseki_ , and the…” Law couldn’t even finish his sentence.  The barrier of sea stone was draining all of the energy he had.  Being surrounded by this much sea stone would take down any devil fruit user, no matter how strong.

            “Don’t worry, Tra-guy-kun!” Robin called to him.  “We’ll return as fast as possible.  Just try to keep you and Nami safe!”  Law could only nod in reply.

            Robin and Brook took off running back towards the stone steps.  The archaeologist was frustrated with her foolish actions.  How could she so blindly put the others in danger… and for what?  Did her thirst for knowledge have to come at the expense of her _nakama_?

           “It’s okay, Robin-san,” Brook seemed to answer her thoughts.  “We all knew the danger we were walking into.  We wouldn’t have gone through it if we didn’t support you.  So please don’t blame yourself.”

           “Thank you, Brook,” Robin smiled.  His words brought some relief.  “Now we need to call Luffy and save Nami and Tra-guy-kun!”


	4. Chapter 4

            _Brrrrring…..Brrrring…._   Sanji was in the kitchen preparing dinner when the den-den mushi began to ring in the dining hall of the Thousand Sunny.  He hoped it was the group saying that they were returning.  He already missed seeing Nami-san and Robin-chan.  “Oi, the den-den mushi is ringing!”  He yelled to the rest of the crew outside while wiping his hands with a towel.  _Click._   Sanji picked up the receiver.  “Hel..”

            Luffy burst into the dining hall, grabbing the receiver from Sanji.  “Hello!  This is Monkey D. Luffy!  I’m the man who is going to be the Pirate King!”

            “You shouldn’t say that!!!”  Sanji yelled at him.  Zoro, Franky, and Usopp filed in after Luffy.

_“Luffy, this is Robin.”_   Robin’s voice came over the den-den mushi with the crackle of static.

            “Robin!  Are you guys on your way back?  Did you find the pony-thing you were looking for?”  Luffy was practically hunched over the den-den mushi.  He wanted to go on the expedition as well, but Law told him it was important that one of the captains stay on the ship with their captive, Caesar Clown.

_“We found the poneglyph but it was a trap,”_ Robin replied.  She sounded like she was running.

            A worried look appeared on Luffy’s face.  “Who is with you?  Is Tra-guy okay?”

            _“Tra-guy-kun used the last of his energy to get Brook and I out.  We’re running back towards the ship right now.”_   Robin had a hint of worry in her voice.

            “Tra-guy is still caught?!”  Luffy was shocked.  “I’ll be right there!!”

            “Luffy!  This isn’t the time to go running off by yourself!”  Sanji scolded his captain.  His hand was still on the receiver as well.  “Robin-chan, you and Brook made it out.  What about Nami-san?  Is she okay?”

            _“Nami lost consciousness while we were climbing up to the temple.”_   Robin continued to explain, _“She’s still in the trap with Tra-guy-kun, but listen Sanji!  You mustn’t go up there on your own.  We need a plan.”_

            As soon as he heard Robin’s response, Sanji ran out the dining hall door and was sky walking towards the island.  “… Ah, he already took off Robin,” Luffy replied.

            Zoro rolled his eyes, “and here he told Luffy not to go off on his own.  That stupid Love Cook is going to get himself killed.”  The swordsman walked closer to the den-den mushi.  “Why do we need a plan Robin?  What happened?”

            _“There is a fog surrounding the island that drains the energy of non-devil fruit users.  The temple is made of kairouseki to drain the energy of devil fruit users.”_   Robin explained, still running, _“but please listen carefully, Luffy!  There is a legend of a creature in the temple on this island…”_


	5. Chapter 5

            “Mmmnnn…”  Nami began to come to.  Her head hurt worse than any hangover she had ever experienced.  Having her senses dulled since setting foot on this stupid island left her feeling disoriented.  She slowly opened her eyes to see that she was lying on a wooden bench in some stone temple.  The poneglyph that Robin had been searching for was in the middle of the open room.  Bars were placed between all of the pillars, preventing escape.  Two men in robes were near the solid wall at the other end of the temple.  They appeared to be arguing.  She then noticed the back of Law’s white fur hat.  “Tra-guy?”

            Law had propped himself up against the bench after getting Robin and Brook out of the temple.  “Nami-ya, are you finally awake?”  He spoke in a hushed voice.  He was trying to conserve his energy.  “We’re trapped in the temple.  I was able to get Nico-ya and Bone-ya out.  They are calling Straw hat-ya and the others for help.  I’m sorry that I couldn’t get you out as well.  That was my miss.”

            “Are **you** okay?”  Nami noticed that Tra-guy appeared to be exhausted.  His breathing was labored and the way he was leaning against the bench, it looked like he wasn’t able to move.  This wasn’t good.  If both of them were drained of their energy, then neither of them would be able to fight.

            Law smiled, “You noticed?  The stone and bars in this temple are made of _kairouseki_.”  Nami’s eyes widened with shock.  “The fog was draining your energy and the temple was designed to drain the energy of devil fruit users,” he explained.  “Listen carefully, Nami-ya.  I don’t think we have much time.  There is a legend of a creature in this temple.  The legend is that the creature feeds on people.  It devours men, but it prefers women… especially **young** women.”  Nami shuddered.  “I think the fog and this temple were designed to drain the strength and trap victims on this island to feed the creature.  Those two temple priests have been arguing for a few minutes, but I believe they are conjuring the beast.”

            Nami’s heart began to pound, but she couldn’t move.  Her body seemed to be paralyzed by fear in addition to being weakened by the fog.  Law continued, “If the legend is true and a beast is coming, you need to close your eyes and keep them shut.”

            “Why?”  Nami questioned.  She wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

            “I’ve heard in the legend that the creature can hypnotize women.  The hypnosis won’t work on men, but if women look at the beast, then they will become hypnotized.  After the women are hypnotized, the creature will slowly feed on them” Law frowned.  “If they conjure this beast, keep your eyes shut no matter what you hear.  If you open your eyes, then I won’t be able to help you.  I’ll try to keep it distracted long enough for the others to get here, but if it comes for me first, then there isn’t much we will be able to do.  It all depends on the monster.”

            “How so?”  Her breath was starting to become shallow with panic.  At least the others were coming.

            “We’ll have to see if he’s the type who likes to eat his dessert last… or first,” Law replied.  Nami cringed.  The captain of the Heart Pirates had the same dark sense of humor as Robin.

 _Back on the Sunny…_ Zoro, Luffy, Franky, and Usopp stared at the den-den mushi as Robin finished telling them of the legendary creature in the temple of Chloe.  _“Luffy, we don’t have much time,”_ she reminded her captain and crewmates.  _“I think you’re going to need Franky’s **Coup-de-Vent** to blow away the fog.  We may also need his **Radical Beam** to open the kairouseki cage.”_

            “I can cut the _kairouseki_ ,” Zoro interjected.  “Luffy, we should get going.”  The captain nodded in agreement.  Usopp offered to stay behind with Chopper, Momonosuke, and Kin’emon to guard the Sunny and watch over Caesar.  The sniper was thankful that he didn’t draw one of the short matchsticks this time.


	6. Chapter 6

          The two temple priests still continued to argue. “We need to hurry and wake up Lord Trauco-sama,” one of them said in exasperation.

          “Fine, but you can explain to him how the devil fruit woman escaped!” The other replied. “I don’t want him to take it out on me!”

          “Whatever, let’s just wake him up. He’ll be satisfied with the devil fruit man and young orange-haired woman.” The first priest tried his best to sound confident, but there was a trace of fear in his voice. The two men drew a chalk circle at the East end of the temple and joined hands, saying their incantation in unison.

          There was a burst of light and purple smoke, then a beast in black robes appeared. “Nami-ya, close your eyes!” Law whispered to Nami. The navigator shut her eyes tight, like a child trying to wish away a nightmare.

          “M-m-my Lord!” The first priest greeted the creature. “We-we’ve brought you two sacrifices this day! Please accept our humble gifts!”

          “I thought there was a devil fruit woman as well,” the creature replied. Nami was surprised. The creature’s voice was nasal and annoying. It almost sounded like some sort of sickly teenage boy who never went outside.

          “W-we did have one, my Lord, but she escaped just as we lowered the bars.” The first priest sounded extremely frightened now.

          “She escaped?!!” The creature was furious. As weak as his voice sounded, there was an underlying tone that was extremely menacing. It terrified Nami. “Well, I guess I will just have to consume you in her place!”

         Nami shivered as she heard the priest scream and then go silent. There was a thud of something hitting the floor. “My Lord, my apologies for not getting the devil fruit woman back,” the second priest was now speaking to the creature. “We did manage to trap this young woman and devil fruit man, though.”

         The sound of robes brushing against the floor came near Nami and Law.  “Hmmm…  This woman is beautiful and succulent enough.  Actually, she looks quite delicious.  I think I’ll take her first.”  Nami tried not to cry out as she felt large, cold, claw-like hands pick her up and push her against the wall.  “Look at me, woman!”  One of the hands closed around her neck and forced her face upwards.

         “No!”  Nami replied as she kept her eyes tightly shut.  She felt the grip tighten around her neck.

         “I can always **rip** your eyeballs out and force you to look at me!”  The creature’s voice was disturbing.  Nami gasped for air but she still refused to open her eyes.

         Law interrupted the monster’s feast.  “You know, threatening her isn’t going to make her cooperate.  She’s not going to open her eyes.  Just accept it.”

         “ ** _Grrr_** … Is that so?!”  The creature’s hand was still at Nami’s throat, but she heard him turn to Tra-guy.  “Would you like me to devour you first instead, devil fruit man?!”  Nami grasped at the cold, wrinkly hand around her neck while the monster was distracted.  It turned back to her, “or should I try a different strategy??”  Nami didn’t want to think of what other strategies the beast would have in addition to ripping her eyes out.  Whatever it was going to try though, the navigator was determined to fight even if she knew she couldn’t possibly have a chance of winning.

         “How is **this** then…” This voice was different.  It was familiar.  Nami recognized the deep, calm voice.  “Nami-san?”  The grip on her throat was released and she felt a warm hand caress her cheek. _Sanji-kun??_   Could it be possible that he came to save her?

         Nami slowly opened her eyes.  She faintly heard Tra-guy yell to her, “No! Nami-ya, don’t open your eyes!!”  It was too late though.  She saw Sanji-kun standing in front of her and threw her arms around his neck.

         He embraced her and whispered in her ear, “It’s okay.  This won’t hurt.  You won’t feel any pain as long as you give yourself to me.”  Then his mouth was on hers.  Nami felt whatever strength she had regained while resting on the bench start to drain.  A strange numbness spread through her body.  It was like one of Chopper’s anesthetics.

         Deep down, Nami knew this was still the monster, but it was too late to fight.  The numbness made any will to fight disappear.  The dizziness returned and she pulled her mouth away from the fake Sanji-kun’s as she gasped for air.  She felt his lips on her neck, then there was a pinch and more numbness.  Was he biting her?  She couldn’t tell anymore.  Her consciousness was slipping and her eyes wandered over to Tra-guy.

         Law looked on in horror as he saw Nami’s body begin to go limp in the monster’s arms.  He could do nothing.  He couldn’t move.  He couldn’t even yell anymore.  His strength was still weakened from the sea stone prison.  _I’m sorry Straw hat-ya.  I couldn’t protect one of your nakama._

         Suddenly, a yell came from outside the temple.  **“Nnnnnnami-saaaaaaaaaan!  That guy isn’t me!!!”**


	7. Chapter 7

          **“Nnnnnnami-saaaaaaan!  That guy isn’t me!!!”**   The yell came from outside the temple.  Law looked in the direction of the voice.  _Could it be??_

 _Sanji-kun?_   Nami heard the voice as well.  She could no longer speak.  _Save me, please!_

          “ **Poêle à Frire Spectre!!!** ”  The top of one of the middle pillars and the ceiling above it crumbled down with a barrage of kicks.  Sanji landed next to the pile of sea stone rubble and lit a cigarette.  “Oi, monster!”  The creature looked over at the intruder.  The spell on Nami broke as the fake Sanji transformed into a grotesque beast with a pale, bat-like face and long, stringy black hair.  If she had the strength, Nami would have screamed.  “Get your dirty hands off of her!”  Sanji called over to the monster as his right leg burst into flames.  “ **Diable Jambe COLLIER STRIKE!!!!** ”

          The attack landed directly in the monster’s neck and sent it flying into another pillar across the temple.  Sea stone crumbled as the monster’s body broke the support structure.  “Trauco-sama!!!”  The remaining priest that had been looking on in fear, went running to the aid of his master.

          Sanji caught Nami’s body as she collapsed.  “Hey, Nami-san!  Are you okay?  Stay with me.”  She appeared to be barely breathing.  Sanji noticed a nasty bite on her neck.  The skin in the area had a dark purple, almost eggplant color.  “This isn’t good.”  The cook looked over to Law, “What shape are you in?”

          Law grinned, “The stone and bars are _kairouseki_.  You made it just in time, Black leg-ya.  I couldn’t move and it was about to kill her.”  He struggled to get to his feet, using his sword as support.  The crumbling sea stone broke some of the barrier that was draining Law’s strength, but he still couldn’t use his powers.  “Where are Straw hat-ya and the others?”

         “They should be on their way,” Sanji looked back to Nami as he picked her up.  “I was the first to get here.”  He really didn’t like the look of the bite on the navigator’s neck.  He needed to get her back to the Sunny so Chopper could look at her.  Sanji looked around the cage and noticed that aside from the hole he kicked in the ceiling, there wasn’t really any way out of the prison.  “We’ve got a problem, Law.  How are we supposed to get out of here?  I can’t carry you both out.”

         “There is a lever over on the East wall.  It will raise the bars if it is switched.”  Law was now on his feet, but he was breathing heavy.  It took a lot of strength to even stand.  “If Straw hat-ya is going to fight that thing, we’re going to need to get it out of the temple first.”

         “What **is** that thing?”  Sanji was now standing beside Law with Nami in his arms.  “Is it a vampire?”

         “Be careful, Sanji-kun.  I think it’s a shape shifter…”  Nami’s voice was weak, but at least she was conscious.  She worried that if the cook tried to fight it again, the monster might take on the appearance of a woman.  There would be no way Sanji-kun could fight it then.

         “No, it’s an incubus.”  Law corrected both of them.  “Like I said before, Nami-ya, it can only hypnotize women.  Whatever illusion it was showing you, you definitely succumbed quickly.  I couldn’t see it though.  Only you could.”

         “But then, how…?”  Nami was confused.  She looked up at Sanji.  _How was Sanji-kun able to know what I was seeing, then?_

         “Incubus?”  Sanji was trying to remember where he heard that name before.  “Isn’t that the thing that is supposed to feed on women in their sleep by having sex with them?”  He looked back down at Nami-san.  _That shitty pervert!!_

         “This one feeds on both men and women.  It just prefers women, **especially** young women and devil fruit women by the sounds of it,” Law clarified.  “Regardless, we need to get out of here, and quickly.  Any ideas?”

         “If I take care of the lever, will you be able to get out of here?”  Sanji asked.  The monster was starting to move from under the rubble.

         “That depends on how fast you can take care of the lever,” Law replied.  If he could get out of the temple, then his powers would return almost immediately.

         “Hehe, watch me.”  Sanji grinned at the Heart Pirates captain, then took off in a sprint towards the East wall with Nami in his arms.  Law glanced back towards the monster, who was coming out from the rubble of sea stone.  Just as Law looked over to the cook again, Sanji kicked the switch upwards.  The bars flew up and both pirates ran out from the temple into the stone courtyard.  Sanji was beside Law again.  “I need to get Nami-san back to the ship.  How fast will your powers return?”

         Law clenched his right fist and opened it.  “I think they are already back.  **Go!**   I’ll keep it distracted until Straw hat-ya gets here.”  Sanji nodded in response and took off towards the stone steps leading down to the plateau.  From behind him, the cook could hear the beast screeching in anger, the sound of more sea stone crumbling, and Law saying, “ **ROOM….** ”


	8. Chapter 8

          “ **Coup-de-VENT!** ”  A gust of wind blew away what appeared to be the last of the fog, revealing the top of the stone steps.  Franky did a pose while yelling, “Ow!  The fog is **suuuuuperrrr** gone now, captain!”

          Luffy ran up the stairs past his shipwright.  “Nice, Franky!”  The captain reached the plateau just as Sanji was jumping down the short set of stairs that led to the temple.  “Sanjiiiii!!!  Where’s Tra-guy?!”

          “Luffy!”  The cook called to him.  “Law is at the temple just up these stairs.  We were able to get out, but he said he would keep the monster busy until you got there.”  Sanji ran up to his crewmates as they came up the stairs.  “I need to get Nami-san back to the ship.  The monster almost killed her.”

          “Take care of her, Sanji!”  Luffy yelled as he ran up the stairs.  Zoro followed after his captain.

          “The fog should be taken care of now,” Franky confirmed to the cook.

          “Fog?  What was wrong with the fog?”  Sanji looked puzzled.

          “Didn’t you hear the explanation of the fog?”  Robin ran up the stairs and stood behind Franky.

          “Umm… I think I took off before that,” Sanji looked embarrassed.  At least Robin-chan appeared to be okay.

          “The fog was what drained Nami’s energy while we climbed up here.”  Robin clarified to the cook.  “Didn’t you have to go through it to get to the temple?”

          “It was pretty low-lying to the island.  I just sky walked over it.”  Sanji explained.  “That’s probably why I couldn’t find you and Brook!”

          Franky and Robin stared at their crewmate in disbelief.  Brook came up the stairs behind Robin.  He overheard the entire conversation.  “Sanji-san… You show-off!”

          “Hah???”  Sanji was about to yell at the musician.  Robin interrupted him.

          “Sanji, Nami doesn’t look very well.  Is she okay?”  Robin looked at the bite wound on the navigator’s neck with concern.

          “ **Shit!**   I need to get her back to the ship so Chopper can look at her!”  Sanji started to run down the stairs past his crewmates.  “Robin-chan!  Be careful fighting that thing!  Apparently it can hypnotize women!”

          “Come, we need to hurry!”  Brook said to Franky and Robin.  The three Straw-hats ran up the short staircase to the temple courtyard.  They arrived to see their captain finishing off the legendary monster.

          “ **Gomu, gomu no~~** ” Luffy’s hand was gigantic, stretched back, and colored with armament haki.  “ **Elephant gun!!** ”  The ugly beast that had caused the Straw-hats trouble went flying off to the other side of the island.  The priest ran off, calling for his master.  Law looked on in awe and knew he made the right decision to form an alliance with this crew.

          Zoro’s arms were folded as Brook, Franky, and Robin ran up to the group.  “You guys are too late.  Luffy took care of everything.  We weren’t even needed.”  The swordsman sounded disappointed.  He didn’t even get to cut the sea stone bars like he wanted to.

          “Luffy!”  Robin ran up to the captain.  “Is it okay if I still read the poneglyph before we leave?”

          “ _Shishishi!_ …. Sure!”  Luffy smiled at her.  He then looked over to his first mate.  “Zoro!  Can you cut open the temple so Robin can safely read the pony-thingie?  You and Brook stay up here with her until she’s done.”

          Zoro tried not to look annoyed.  _What am I now?  Clean-up duty?_   “Yeah, will do, captain.”  Luffy, Law, and Franky began to walk back towards the stairs leading down to the Sunny.  Luffy was bugging Law for details on what happened.


	9. Chapter 9

         Sanji reached the Sunny and easily jumped on board.  “Chopper!  Where are you?!  Nami needs help!”

         The tiny reindeer was up on the balcony leading to the dining hall.  “Sanji!  Robin just called on the den-den mushi.  Bring Nami in!!”

 _A few minutes later, inside Chopper’s infirmary…_   Nami lay on the bed while the doctor examined the wound on her neck.  Sanji had wanted to stay by her side, but Chopper convinced him that he would only be in the way.  _“Don’t you have to prepare dinner, anyway?”_

 _“ **Shit!**   I flew out of here so fast that I left all of the food out!”  _ The cook only left when the reindeer promised to call him back in when he was done.  This was no ordinary wound though.  It looked like Nami had been poisoned, but by what, Chopper wasn’t sure of yet.  Sanji told him that an incubus had bit her, but what kind of poison would that type of creature have?  The doctor only hoped that he didn’t need to make an anti-venom from the beast itself.  He didn’t even want to see the monster.

         “Chopper…?”  Nami had come to while the doctor tried to find a match for her wound in one of his books.  Her breathing was labored and she struggled to open her eyes.  She recognized the infirmary and sighed with relief when she realized she was back on the Sunny.

         “Nami!”  Chopper ran up to the bed.  “Try not to use too much strength.  You have a wound on your neck that looks like you’ve been poisoned.  I’m trying to find a match in my books so I know what type of medicine to give you, but I’m having trouble.”

         Nami remembered the frightening monster biting her neck when it looked like Sanji-kun.  She cringed as she suddenly became aware of the pain.  “Nami, can you describe any symptoms to me?”  Chopper noticed the expression on her face.  “That may help me in finding a match and treatment.”

         Tears were forming in her eyes.  “W-when he bit me, there was a numbness that spread through my body.  I think I was paralyzed.  I-I couldn’t even talk at that time.”  She started to cry, but she didn’t know if it was from the pain or the terrifying memory.

         Chopper was flipping through his book as Nami described the incident.  “I think I found a match!!  I’ll have a treatment ready in no time!”  He started looking through his plants to find the ingredients for the medicine.  “Do you want an anesthetic?”

         “No!...  No, that’s okay.”  Nami tried to take a deep breath to cope with the pain.  “I’ve been numb enough today.”

 _Thirty minutes later…_   Chopper finished dressing Nami’s wound.  “Make sure you get some rest before you try moving,” the doctor gave his instructions.  Then he jumped down from the bed and called in Sanji as promised.  “Don’t bother her too much though!”  He warned the cook, “She still needs rest.  She’s been through a lot.”

         “Yes, doctor!”  Sanji replied.  “Dinner’s ready if you want.”  The cook pointed to the dining hall with his thumb.  Chopper went running out to make sure his portion wasn’t eaten by Luffy.

         Sanji looked over at the bed as the door closed behind him.  Nami’s eyes were closed and her neck was bandaged where the bite wound had been.  The cook quietly approached the bed and pulled up one of the chairs.  He placed a small bowl of soup on the bedside table.  “Nami-san?”  His voice was soft as he gently pushed back some of her long orange hair away from her face.  “I brought you some dinner.  I didn’t know if you would be hungry.”

         The navigator’s eyes slowly opened, and she looked up at him.  “Sanji-kun?”  Her voice sounded hoarse.  Part of her was afraid that he was the monster again, but then she saw the soup he had brought in with him.  The monster wouldn’t even know how to cook.  It only knew how to eat people.  Nami shuddered again at the memory of almost being killed by the incubus.  What was worse was that she didn’t even have the will to fight it at the time.  _If Sanji-kun hadn’t showed up, then…_

         Tears were forming in her brown eyes again.  Sanji wiped away one of the tears.  “It’s okay, Nami-san.  You’re on the Sunny now.  You’re okay.”  He gently stroked her hair behind her ear while he tried to comfort her.

         Nami laughed at herself.  “Sorry,” she apologized for crying.  “It’s just that if you didn’t show up when you did, then I probably wouldn’t be here.”  Her face became serious.  “I couldn’t fight it, even if I wanted to.  My body was completely paralyzed.”  Sanji watched her, shocked.  He didn’t want to think of a world without Nami-san.  “It’s weird though,” Nami continued.  “How did you know what I was seeing when that beast had me hypnotized?”

         “Huh?”  Sanji looked confused.

         “When you came towards the temple, I heard your voice,” Nami clarified.  “You said, ‘That guy isn’t me.’  Tra-guy said that only I could see the illusion.  How did you see what I was seeing?”

         “I didn’t.”  Sanji replied.  “I just didn’t like how that thing was touching you.”

         “Oh…”  Nami’s cheeks began to burn as she realized that she had just accidentally revealed to Sanji-kun what illusion the monster gave her while feeding on her.  _Please don’t notice.  Please don’t notice.  Please don’t notice._

         “… Ah!”  It hit Sanji suddenly.  “Wait a minute!”  He looked down at her in disbelief.  “You saw me?!”

         “Shut up!  I never said that!”  Nami tried to hide her face in the blankets.  _Oh no!  He realized it!!_

         “No, you asked how did I know when I said that it wasn’t me.  And I didn’t.  That thing was making you see me?”  Sanji tried pulling the blankets away from Nami’s face.  “And you were letting it touch you like that??”  He could barely contain his excitement.  “Hey, **can** I touch you like that???”

         “Shut up, Sanji-kun!!!  You’re horrible!”  Nami was now burying her face in the pillow.  She tried not to laugh as he attempted to pull the pillow away.

         “You know you could always tell me what I was doing,” Sanji whispered, his deep voice vibrating in Nami’s ear.  The navigator pulled the pillow away from her face and stared at him in shock.  Her cheeks were flushed and her heart pounded.  The cook grinned at her, “Bingo!”

         Just then, Chopper burst into the infirmary.  “Sanji!!  I told you Nami needed rest!  Quit causing a commotion!!”  With that, the doctor shooed Sanji out of the room, saving Nami from further embarrassment.  She sighed with relief as Chopper made the cook leave.  She didn’t know if she was ready to face those feelings yet.

         Life had returned to normal on the Thousand Sunny.  The crew continued on their journey to Dressrosa…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Owari!!


End file.
